


Sweet Memory

by JantoJones



Series: Brief Briefings [45]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 10:08:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8574184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JantoJones/pseuds/JantoJones
Summary: This was originally written for mrua7 as part of the LJ MFUWSS Easter Egg Challenge. The prompt was 'I'd like a gen Easter egg please, involving Illya, painted Easter eggs and a Matryoshka doll.'





	

Illya Kuryakin was not a happy man. He was once again being held captive, but knew he would not be escaping anytime soon.

“You may as well get yourself out of that mood Mr Kuryakin. You’re here for the foreseeable.”

Illya ignored UN.C.L.E.’s head nurse and continued to brood. He’d only broken his leg in three places; he wasn’t dying.

“Two of the girls from the secretarial pool have something for you which might just bring a smile to your face,” Nurse Redfearn continued. “I’ll send them in.”

This alone was enough to lift his heart. Despite what people thought of him, Illya quite liked the company of the ladies from the secretarial pool. For one thing, he could pick up quite a lot of gossip about his partner which he could store away for later use. More importantly, they often brought him food when he was stuck in medical.

Shortly after leaving the room, Jenny Flynn and Gayle Noble entered. The former was carrying a small, beribboned box and they were both grinning like two children who were failing to hide a secret.

“We know that you enjoy seeing the entries in the annual Easter Egg painting competition,” Jenny said, as she handed the box to him. “But being here means you’re going to miss it. So, Gayle and I decided to paint one just for you.”

“We hope you like it,” Gayle added. “We’ll leave you in peace to open it, but remember, we aren’t very good artists.”

After they left, Illya stared at the box for several minutes, wondering if they’d chosen the red ribbon deliberately. With exaggerated care, he pulled on the end of the ribbon to untie it, and then lifted the lid. His breath hitched when he saw what was inside.

It wasn’t the most sophisticated rendering of a Matryoshka doll he’d ever seen, but the fact it was egg shaped transported him straight to his early childhood. He could still see the beautiful wooden set that his babushka had on a small shelf above her bed. They had been lovingly, and painstaking carved and decorated by his grandfather while she was pregnant with their first child, Illya’s mother, Kira. His grandmother had them set out in two rows, with the larger ones standing behind the smaller ones. 

Illya and his sisters were forbidden from touching them, and he could still almost feel the spanking he’d received when he was caught putting them all back together to make one object.

The precious Matryoshka had been lost at the same time as his family; destroyed by the Nazi soldiers as they demolished the village and its inhabitants. Illya had stopped crying over those events long ago, but the gift from Jenny and Gayle caused tears to return to his eyes. This time, they weren’t just tears of sadness. There was also joy for the memory of his family, and happiness at receiving such a thoughtful and perfect Easter gift.


End file.
